


Books and Bees

by Kiiratam



Category: RWBY
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Motorcycle Safety, Ninjas of Love, Weiss suffers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 11:37:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19829386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiiratam/pseuds/Kiiratam
Summary: Blake wants to finish reading the latest Ninjas of Love book.Yang wants to find out why Ruby won't stop saying 'now that's a katana.'Bumblebee wants to go fast.Weiss just wants some peace and quiet (she won't get it).Set around Volume 1, Chapter 11. (My BMBLB fic index)





	Books and Bees

_"Lord Mori, you are too kind to your poor kinswoman." Asami had thrown herself flat at Lord Mori's feet, acutely aware of the dagger hidden in the folds of her skirts. Her chance would come soon. She had to strike swiftly and surely. Her mere four inches of folded steel would not avail her against the brutal and storied edge of the Mori family katana._

  
_Asami's ears pricked as she heard the floors give a cricket chirp as Lord Mori shifted his weight. His resonant baritone was thick with emotion as he stooped and gently raised her chin. "No, no, my dear kinswoman. I have been monstrous to you and yours, and our clan, to permit such things to occur. I have been neglectful of my duties, caught up in this souldrinking feud with the Confederation of the Winds. In the goreslicked slaughter, I lost myself. In piling up glory and corpses, I have drowned my honor in blood."_

  
_"My lord! " Asami wasn't sure where this would lead. Best to just play along._

  
_Lord Mori stood with shocking haste, the folds of his robes snapping. "There is only one way to redeem myself, in my eyes, and the all-seeing eyes of the spirits." Curling her toes in her slippers, Asami made herself ready to spring. Lord Mori was not a hasty man. He was deliberate in his actions, and wisdom was graven in his eyes. But now, she did not see that wisdom, only an onrushing storm of emotion._

  
_He laid hands on his katana, effortlessly keeping it free from the billow of his robes. Asami felt her eyes widen, despite her years of training. Surely he wasn't about to strike her down! -But a quiet voice in her mind whispered that her death, and the slaughter of her (supposed) destitute branch of the Mori clan, would discharge Lord Mori's obligation to them. Her own masters would do such, pinning the blame on another, and using the sympathy garnered to support another spiral in the feuding dance. Asami sought the hilt of her dagger within her skirts._

  
_And stopped, paralyzed with terror, as the Black Brand of the Mori blazed forth from its scabbard. Like a living thing it was, a hooded serpent that gripped her heart with fear, and laid an icy chill in her muscles. She knew that her death was nigh, and-_

  
"So, I hear you're corrupting my sister."

  
Blake looked up from her book. Yang was hanging head first over the edge of their bunk bed, hair nearly brushing the floor.

  
"Me?"

  
"You. She said something about _Ninjas of Love_ , and a really big katana." Yang waggled her eyebrows.

  
Blake could feel her cheeks start to redden. "I - may have left a book out."

  
"Well, it won't hurt her." She somehow managed to shrug while upside-down. "Oh, what are you reading?"

  
Most of the time, Blake would respond to that question by holding the book up, and let the questioner figure it out for themselves. Somehow, she didn't think Yang would let her get away with that. Plus, Yang was upside-down, so she'd have to flip the book over... it was easier to just play along. " _Ninjas of Love IV: Vorpal Katana_. It's mostly a political thriller. With ninjas. And katanas."

  
Blake watched Yang form a deliberate, serious look of consideration. "Oh, okay. Sounds interesting. Is there any kissing?"

  
"No." Yes. "Well, some." Lots. "Pretty tame." It was not. "It's not really the focus, anyway." It was absolutely the focus. Blake knew her blushing was giving her away. And her stammering. And her obvious lies.

  
"Too bad. It sounded interesting." Yang and her curtain of hair withdrew.

  
Blake's ears twitched, despite the black bow securing them. "Hey, _Ninjas of Love_ is interesting!" Above her, she could hear Yang unroll her scroll, and it play the opening fanfare of the _Super Grimm Squisher 9000_.

  
"I dunno, Blake. Politics doesn't sounds all that interesting to me. Even if it does have ninjas."

  
"Book two has a secret society of demon hunters!"

  
The digital beeps and cries of Grimm getting pulped informed Blake that she needed to try harder. "It weaves a rich emotional tapestry of the principal characters! We see them grapple with duty and honor, and weigh them against their own personal desires!" She bounced up out of bed, and stood on her tip-toes.

  
Yang was slouched in the top-bunk, nonchalantly tapping out sequences of commands. "Uh huh." Her avatar pile-drove a Beowulf into another, and the scroll shrieked out cries of pain.

  
Blake didn't have any other options. The honor of her favorites series was at stake. She couldn't let her own embarrassment stop her. "They're full of filthy smut and I love them!"

  
Yang looked up. "Oh, hi Weiss." Their team member stood in the doorway, blinking at them around a tower of books. "It's the second week of school; there's no way you need all of those."

  
"I - You! She-" Weiss tipped the books onto her desk, taking a deep breath. "I cannot _believe_ you! Or her! Or any of this!" She waved her arms at the room. "I. Am. Going. Out." Weiss stormed out - impressive in heels -, and slammed the door shut.

  
Blake wasn't sure if her whole body was blushing or if she was actually on fire. _This is it,_ she thought. _I will literally be the first person to die of embarrassment. I will crawl into bed and die. Several times. I don't care if it's Weiss SCHNEE and I hate her._

  
"Smut, huh?" Her scroll had vanished, and Yang had rolled on her side, giving her a broad grin. "Tell me more."

  
"Can't." Blake felt her knees give out, and she crumpled bonelessly to the floor. _I will die on the floor, out in the open, so everyone can see my shame. And point. And laugh._ She was dimly aware of a flash of yellow, and she felt her head being propped up. Blake was sure one of her ears was twitching, and then Yang would know that too, and-

  
"Blake? Blake, say something." _Can't. Literally dead._ "It's okay, it's just Weiss. She gets huffy after class." _Doesn't matter, I did this to myself._ A light shining in her eyes, making her squint and try to bat it away. "Hey, stop that. I'm checking if you concussed yourself. Just follow the light." Finally, something she could manage. "Okay, not concussed. Probably. Would you say something? I'm getting worried."

  
"Your fault."

  
"Ouch. Got me there. Wanna sit up?"

  
"No. Cozy. Humiliated, but cozy."

  
"Okay." Blake felt fingers drumming on her arm. "I am the worst at this, sorry. I just wanted to tease you a bit. And borrow your book."

  
"Ruby has it."

  
"Oh. ...I'll make her give that back. She's bad at returning stuff. Books, tools - she still has some of my hex wrenches."

  
"Thanks." Color was returning to the world. Blake was pretty sure she wasn't going to spontaneously combust anymore, but she still wanted to crawl into bed and hide under the covers.

  
"Want to try standing? Do you want some water?"

  
"Sure. Uh, yes water. Then standing."

  
"Okay. You're on my legs, so I'm going to sit you up so I can get water, and then we'll try for standing."

  
The whole process was managed with a minimum of fuss, and Blake found herself standing next to the window, looking out at campus and nursing a glass of water.

  
Reflected in the window, she could see Yang hovering behind her, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. "I know my bad ideas got us into this, but I had another idea. Want to hear it?"

  
"Sure." Blake downed the glass, and turned to face her team-mate. "What is it?"

  
"Want to go to a bookstore? I can get Ruby her own copy of _Ninjas of Love_ , and get you a book too."

  
Looking into Yang's eyes, Blake considered what she saw for a moment, then gave a thumbs-up.

  
"Great! Wanna leave a note for Ruby and Weiss while I find my spare helmet?"

  
"Uhhh, helmet?"

  
Yang pulled on her jacket. "We're taking Bumblebee."

* * *

  
Holding Yang's spare biking jacket and helmet (both black), Blake looked with some apprehension at the sleek lines of Yang's motorcycle. No Black Brand of the Mori, but still strange and vaguely threatening.

  
"Okay, Blake. Jacket on. I'm going to get on first, then you get on behind me. You can hold onto to me, or to the seat behind you, just hold on tight. Got it?"

  
She nodded, shrugging into the thick jacket, and zipping it up. "Yup."

  
"I'm going to need you to stay as straight as possible, especially when we're turning. Just look over my shoulder in the direction we're turning. And keep your feet up when we stop."

  
Blake nodded. "Let you do the balancing."

  
"Exactly. Now, Bumblebee isn't super loud, but I still won't be able to hear anything you say. So tap out if you want me to stop, thumbs down if you want me to slow down, and thumbs up if we're good." Yang straddled Bumblebee, and looked at Blake. "All good?"

  
"Hold tight, stay straight, feet up. I think so."

  
"Good." Yang settled her helmet on her hair, buckling it, and dropped the goggles in place. "Mount up."

  
 _It's just a bike,_ Blake told herself. _Just a bike that's going to be rocketing along with no control from you at all. But just a bike._ She swallowed, buying time by getting her helmet in place and buckled.

  
"Your bow is going to get all wrinkled."

  
"It's okay. It's wrinkle-proof." _You're okay, Blake. Yang is your team-mate. She's not going to let you get hurt. You weren't hurt earlier, just embarrassed. And she apologized for that. Just breathe in, hold it, jump on-_

  
"Alright, grab on." _-breathe out, grab the underside of the seat behind you - no, no, too much imbalance for Yang, and I feel like I'm falling backwards. Breathe in-_

  
"Wow, hello. Welcome aboard."

  
"Sorry! I didn't mean to grab on so tight." Blake started to loosen her arms from around Yang's waist, but Yang patted her arm.

  
"You're fine. Better to be tight. I'm going to start slow, but it's easier the faster we go. And more fun. You remember the hand signals?"

Blake gave a thumbs up.

  
"Good. Say hello, Bumblebee!" Yang flipped the ignition, and the motorcycle roared to life. She guided the bike out of the garage, and onto the access road. Anyone without Blake's keen hearing would have lost what Yang continued to say. "This is Blake, Bumblebee. She's new, so be nice. Yeah, I like her too. But we don't want to scare her, so we'll start slow."

  
Keeping her arms tight around Yang's waist, Blake looked at the other people and cars around. It felt like they were going fast, but they weren't even up to speed yet. She threw one hand into a thumbs up, and lifted it into Yang's vision. It felt like Yang laughed, and Bumblebee picked up the pace.

  
The access road wound down from Beacon Academy, and merged onto a larger road heading down to the ocean. Bumblebee rumbling underneath her, Blake could almost feel it straining to cut loose, to surge forward into a mad dash for the sea. But she could feel Yang too, infected by the same vibrations, but still easy and relaxed, in control. And they were still just keeping time with the traffic.

  
She threw another thumbs up, figuring that Yang was still going slow for her sake. They didn't speed up, though. Blake wondered if Yang hadn't seen her, started to motion again, and saw Yang nod at a police car.

  
 _Oh. Good point._ Blake bit her lip. _Can't believe I didn't see them. I must be losing my edge. No, no, I'm fine, I'm just somewhere new, and I need to pay attention. You're going tame. If He saw you like this-_

  
Yang darted a glance behind her, eyes wide with concern. Blake became aware that her arms were clenched in a death grip, and tried to relax to 'tight'. _You're safe, breathe in, hold it, breathe out. Hold on to Yang. Yang is safe. You are safe. Breathe in._

  
The police car turned onto an off-ramp. Yang waited a five count, and revved Bumblebee experimentally. Behind her, Blake felt the motorcycle jump forward a touch, and wondered. _Breathe out. Yang is safe. Breathe in._ She flashed a thumbs-up, and they picked up speed.

* * *

  
Yang pulled Bumblebee to a stop in the parking lot across from the bookstore. After the constant engine noise, the switch to ambient city noises was almost deafening. "And we're here! Best bookstore in Vale. It's got everything."

  
Blake tried very hard not to scream. Yang was right, after all. Tukson's Book Trade did have every book under the sun. It was also owned by a member of the White Fang. Who she knew. Who had helped her disappear. _It's not her fault, she doesn't know. Because I didn't tell her, or Ruby, or anyone but Professor Ozpin. Because I'm lying to all of them. It's my fault._ She pulled her helmet off.

  
"You're right."

  
"What?"

  
Yang pointed up at Blake's hair. "Your bow. It didn't wrinkle at all. So, what book are you going to get?"

  
 _Breathe in._ "I don't know yet. I'll have to look first."

  
"Do you think he hides the smut?"

  
"...Why would he do that?"

  
Yang shrugged. "Access to a controlled substance? Blackmail material? Union rules?"

  
"Why don't we just go in and look, instead of standing out here talking about it?"

  
A bell tingled as Yang pulled the door open, and motioned Blake through. From the dusty back rooms, a man called, "Be right there."

  
Yang poked through a stack of old engineering manuals, some still grease-stained. Blake tried to look like she was just browsing, instead of bee-lining for where she knew her kind of books were kept.

  
A series of thumps came from the back, like several tall stacks of books falling over. Tukson, a broad, dark-haired man, looked over his shoulder as he came up to the front. He winced at the protracted noises, then turned to his new customers.

  
Yang turned her attention to him. "Hey, it's me again."

  
Tukson nodded. " _A Geographic History of the Bandit Clans._ And you cleaned me out of books on motorcycles. Three years ago."

  
"That's me. I've brought a friend. Maybe you know her? She reads a lot." Yang swept a hand back at her team-mate.

  
Blake twitched her head 'no.' Tukson gave her a long look, and shook his head. "Afraid not. But I'm not the only bookstore in town."

  
"Just the best one! So, we're looking for _Ninjas of Love_. Book one. And whatever she wants."

  
Tukson nodded. "Paperback, or hardcover?"

  
"Which has a more lurid cover?"

  
Blake felt the words dragged out of her. "Neither. They're both just red print on a black background."

  
Raising an eyebrow, Tukson leaned over the counter. "Gag gift?"

  
Yang grinned. "No, I don't need to gag her. She already doesn't talk much." The bookseller stared back at her, unblinking. "Fine. Yes, it's for my little sister. I want her to unwrap it and turn bright red."

  
Tukson nodded. "I've got some extra dust jackets you can look through. Be right back." He turned and went into the back.

  
"You find anything you want?" Yang sidled up to Blake.

  
" _A Geographic History of the Bandit Clans_?"

  
"Oh, that. Thought it could help me find someone. Didn't work. Too much history, not enough geography. And who writes a book like that, and doesn't put any maps in it?"

  
Blake shrugged. She could recognize an evasion when she heard one. _She's keeping secrets from you. She doesn't trust you. She's my team-mate. I need to trust her._ "This could be interesting." She held up a slim blue volume entitled _Romantic Verses of Sapphire FitzBattleaxe_.

  
Plucking it from her hand, Yang opened it in the middle, and scanned a few lines. "Oh, I like her!

'More golden than all gold your tresses are:  
Never was harp-note like your voice, my love,  
Your voice sweet-ringing.'"

She grinned, shaking out her luxurious hair. "She's got good taste."

  
"Let me see." Blake grabbed the book back, flipping through it furiously. "Okay, here's a good one:

'For whenever I look at you even briefly  
I can no longer say a single thing,  
but my tongue is frozen in silence;  
instantly a delicate flame runs beneath my skin;  
with my eyes I see nothing;  
my ears make a whirring noise.  
A cold sweat covers me,  
trembling seizes my body,  
and I am greener than grass.  
Lacking but little of death do I seem.'"

  
"Yeah, that was you earlier, when Weiss walked in." Yang said, laughing.

  
Blake whacked Yang's shoulder with the book, but Tukson's return spoiled her retort. "Hey, easy on the books. Got those dust jackets for you to look through."

  
The two of them picked through the box in friendly silence, broken by giggles and snorts of laughter at particularly bad covers. They took their chosen cover up to Tukson, and laid it on the counter, next to _Romantic Verses_ and _Ninjas of Love_.

  
He grunted. " _Night of the Naked Werebeowulf and Glompotron: Cage Match Edition_. The Cage Match Edition re-releases are trash, if you ask me. That cover is something else, though. Why does Glompotron even need a no-dachi? He's a robot." The bookseller shook his head as he stuck all three items in a plain brown paper bag. Yang paid, and Tukson flashed his teeth at them in what could charitably be called a smile. "Thanks for the business. Remember, we've got every book under the sun. Miss Xiao Long, Miss Belladonna." He turned and went into the back again.

  
Blake tried to fight down another surge of panic. She hadn't said her name to him, and neither had Yang. Would she notice? _Breathe in, keep your face blank, hold it, breathe out. Count to three and turn to leave, don't act like anything happened._ The bell tingled as they left.

  
Back across the street, Yang shoved the bag into one of Bumblebee's saddlebags. "That was fun." She looked up at the sky, which hinted at a glorious sunset behind the surrounding buildings. "I don't think we can make it back before the dining hall closes. Wanna get something around here?"

  
_Breathe in, keep it together, don't show weakness, don't let the humans smell blood, they hate you, everyone hates you, you threw away everyone that loved you, one after another, Dad, Mom, Him - He Doesn't Love You. You're Just Another Spiteful Trophy._

  
"...Blake?" Yang reached out and touched her team-mate's shoulder. "It's not a big deal -" _Yes it is!_ "I can pay," _I've spent too much, too freely_ "or we could just grab something and go back home." _Home, yes. Home is safe. Home is gone. I threw away home. I can't go home._ "Blake, do you want a hug?" _No, please, don't touch me, go away, please, I don't want to shove you away, I need someone. Please. Yes._

  
Blinking her eyes, trying to ignore tears in them, Blake sniffed, and nodded. Yang grabbed her in a hug tight enough to knock the wind out of her. _Breathe in_ \- Blake got a mouthful of Yang's hair instead, and coughed. Yang let go enough to tuck her hair behind an ear. "Sorry. Happens to Ruby all the time."

  
"You have a lot of hair." Blake sniffed again, got her arms around Yang, and stroked her golden locks, highlighted by a last ray of the sun. _Pretty_.

  
"Yup! I give good hugs, too."

  
"You do." _Breathe in, Yang is safe, hold it, I am safe, breathe out._

  
"You are actually the first person outside my family to tell me that, so thanks."

  
Blake nodded. "We should get back."

  
"Yeah, we should. Want to raid the fridge when we get back? Maybe Nora left something."

  
Breaking the hug, Blake stared at her friend. "Have you met Nora?"

  
Yang laughed, zipping up her jacket. "Fine. We'll raid Ruby's cookie stash. We missed dinner getting her a present, so she owes us."

  
Buckling her helmet and zipping her jacket, Blake gave a thumbs up. Mounting Bumblebee, Yang settled herself, then nodded. Blake climbed on behind her, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend.

  
"Let's go, girl," Yang whispered, turning the ignition. Bumblebee roared to life, slowly turning out of the parking lot, but picking up speed.

**Author's Note:**

> The poems are from Sappho of Lesbos, #24 (tr. Arthur Sanders Way) & #31 (tr. Julia Dubnoff).


End file.
